While thousands of seniors prepare to graduate across
Idaho in the coming weeks, in a few communities there will be an empty
seat, a diploma that won’t be received, a promising future that
was cut short.

These are the teen-age victims of alcohol-involved crashes.
In the 10 years from 1995 to 2004, 117 Idaho teen-agers between 16 and
20 years old died in alcohol-related traffic crashes.

Nine of those died just last year, with more than 100
more injured in alcohol-involved crashes. With graduation marking the
beginning of the summer, we are also entering the “deadly season”
on Idaho highways. Thirty-six percent of all alcohol-involved crashes
traditionally occur during the months of May-August and 46 percent of
teen alcohol-involved traffic fatalities occur during those same months.

The
Idaho State Police Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Division is teaming
this summer with the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections and Idaho
Transportation Department's Office of Traffic and Highway Safety to
target the problem of underage drinking. The first part of the campaign
consists of a radio and television ad blitz targeted at graduating seniors.

The "Project Safe Graduation" spots were created
last year and recently were awarded regional honors by the American
Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

The announcements will air statewide during the peak
of the graduation season through the end of May and into early June.

New this year will be another campaign targeted at those
who would dispense or otherwise provide alcohol to underage drinkers.

"Serve Kids – Serve Time" is the message
of a billboard campaign that will appear across the state this summer.
The stark billboard, which pictures a set of handcuffs dangling from
the neck of a beer bottle, reminds anyone who provides alcohol to minors,
including private citizens who might be tempted to provide alcohol as
a "favor" to and underage youth, that Idaho law provides stiff
penalties, including jail time, for such an offense.

"We are entering the traditional season of 'keggers,'
other graduation celebrations involving alcohol, and the dangerous summer
driving season when we perennially see a rise in alcohol-involved crashes,"
said ISP Alcohol Beverage Control Chief, Lt. Bob Clements.

''Project Safe Graduation' and 'Serve Kids – Serve
Time' are intended to reach both underage youth who are tempted to drink
as well as those who aid in their doing so," he said.

A May 13 news conference in Meridian included a number
of presentations designed to protect teenagers. Agenda items included:

Discussions of enforcement strategies to combat the
problems of underage drinking and DUI

Representation from ISP/ABC, as well as local law
enforcement

Statistics that show the extent of the problem

A full-sized "Serve Kids - Serve Time" billboard

Discussion about the penalties, including jail time,
that those who provide alcohol to underage youth can face